Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Eastern Canada Trip 2013 Day 10 Saturday September 21 Montreal, Beaconsfield, Kirkland, Pointe-Claire, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Dorval, Laval, Longueil, St-Lambert

UPDATED: February 10, 2021

This is the tenth of a series of posts dealing with my third trip to Eastern Canada. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification.  These are indicated by “NOW”.

I had breakfast at the hostel and then walked to Station Lionel-Groulx, where I took a bus (211; all transportation today STM/Société de transport de Montréal) to the southeast end of Beaconsfield. I walked north then took a 201 bus to Kirkland. I couldn’t find the store I wanted (Book Market). I dashed south, re-entering Beaconsfield (there’s a nice sign at the border). A 208 bus driver saw me running and drove me the rest of the way south. I walked east to the lovely Pointe-Claire. Someone told me there was a windmill in the area. He was a francophone so I clarified the location later with a few other people (ironically one person I asked in my best French told me he couldn’t speak French). Finally found the windmill. Even though it was windy it wasn’t moving.

I saw a 211 bus and decided to skip the book store in the area which probably wouldn’t be open yet. I got off at St Jean and Hwy 20 and took a northbound 202 bus to Fairview Terminus, then an eastbound 208 bus to just past des Sources mall in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. I (hopefully) walked the short distance south to Dorval, then went back to Des Sources mall and grabbed a pop at Dollarama, then, too bored to find the book store in the area took another 208 bus to a stop in Pierrefonds. I must have written something down wrong because there wasn’t a connecting bus there as expected. However I was pretty close to Rue Gouin which had the bus I wanted. I started to double back, thinking I had dropped my journal but found it in another compartment. I took an eastbound 68 bus back to Montreal.

[NOW: The book store I skipped in Pointe-Claire was Livres Beazley Books, now closed. The other book store I believe was another Book Market, also now closed. Pierrefonds actually is part of Montreal.]

I crossed Pont (bridge) Lachapalle over Rivière des Prairies into Laval and wandered northwest. One store was gone but found one of Quebec’s numerous Superclub Vidéotrons (they haven’t gotten the memo that video is dying) and bought some DVDs. I grabbed lunch at a McDonald’s, then, bored with Laval, headed east along Rue Notre-Dame, where the sidewalk had illos of pencil crayons, ladybugs, scissors, etc. At one point the sidewalk ended but there was a noticeable well-tread grass path.  I made it to Metro Montmercy (the three metro stations are to my knowledge the only STM-run spots in Laval.
 
[NOW: That Superclub Vidéotron is now closed.]
 
I took an Orange Line train to Metro Berri-UQAM and transferred on the yellow line to Longueil.  I walked to St-Lambert and was going to check out a few shops. But it was a long walk, I didn’t know the transit rates in the area, and my heart was more into Montreal, so I doubled back and did the reverse subway ride back to Berri-UQAM. I walked north and found that DVDO from last year was gone.

I walked north along St Denis, visited L’Échange, Debede (another woman and I both wanted to dash across the street but had to go to the lights), and Librairie Planète BD. A Renaud Bray I wanted to visit was gone as I headed east along Mont-Royal. I visited another L’Échange (bought DVDs) and La Colisée. I thought La Cinoche (videos) was gone but I saw it as the bus was arriving (97). I rode it a stop and then doubled back. Nothing worth buying so heading east I nearly bought a pop at Dollarama but the line wait nearly cost me the next bus so I put it back. I took the bus west to Paul Boutique; like every place with videos in this area, too expensive. Evolution1 was gone but found a Renaud Bray. Walking east also visited, Librairie Le port de tête, La Boite Noire, and another store whose name escapes me. I bought a pop from Jean Coutu (pharmacy) and then took an Orange Line Metro from Station Mont-Royal to Place-d’Armes.

[NOW: Librairie Planète BD moved north a little. The Renaud Bray is there but I think it was in a slightly different location than I’d thought. I believe the other store is Paul Boutique. The latter Renaud Bray moved then closed. La Boite Noire is closed.]

There I returned to Montreal Vieux. Saw a wedding in progress and then two other newlywed couples. I wandered to Station Champ du Mars and took an Orange Line Metro from there to Lucien-d’Allier. I wandered north to Ste Catherine where I ate at the McDonald’s that was the first place I bought food at last year.  I wandered west along Ste Catherine and then east along Maisonneuve. I saw the Illuminated Crowd display and searched The Bay/Le Baie for luggage but it was too expensive there. I beeped entering and leaving but no one bothered me. I then took the Green line from Station McGill in the Baie complex to Station Guy-Concordia and returned to the hostel.

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